Hello - First time Tele owner needs some advice and expert

[tater]

Please forgive my cut&paste this was posted on another board without much response - ssomeone kindly suggested I try here - so here goes:


Help dating a Tele part-o-caster
So this part-o-caster I bought has me a little confounded as to what date(s) it may really be:


The 4 bolt big "F" neck plate is stamped 170076 (1967?)

The body is definitley an original 4 bolt (though a 3rd or middle hole has been drilled at some point).

There is a number: 0164 stamped in green ink inthe neck pocket - right in the middle of the 4 bolts holes

No rout channel between neck pickup cavity and control cavity.


The neck is stamped in Red ink 0701-4342 (1976?)

The pots are all CTS and date 74' (perhaps changed when the Humbucker was installed)


Anyway - it's in very decent shape overall but after peeking below deck it looks like it could use a rewire - or at least a re-solder - it's pretty sloppy and the traditional Tele style switch has been replaced with 2, 2 position dip-switch thingies (you press them up/down vertically to engage/disengage)- . I'm not really sure how they are configured and the wiring as I say is a sloppy job.

So - I'd like to replace the dip switches with a traditional Tele style 3 (or 5?) way and re-wire it up nice and clean.

Here are my specific questions:

Best place to get the switch, wires and other parts (no need to be vintage - just quality)

Wiring diagram/pictures for installing a humbucker - (not even sure what my options are)

Should I consider replacing the pots/cap etc? currently they are 250k and I have a bunch of 500k's on hand from a Gibson historic.

Any other suggestions???

BTW - It plays GREAT - nice big frets and the SD 59' really surprised me.

[dean]

Looks like you have a nice project on your hands, and there are lots of ways you could go as you fine tune the Tele. If you want to keep the components fairly close to the mid-70s era, you'll find the pots, switches, etc. on e-Bay from time to time. Here's another place where you can find vintage parts - they aren't cheap, though!
http://www.soundchamberrepairs.com/frames.htm

If you want to put good, solid new components in the Tele, there are a number of places where the parts can be ordered. Check the Bridge Pickup Links at the top of the TDPRI Index Page for some sources. Some places often mentioned here are Angela Instruments, Callaham, Stew-Mac, and others. Here's a place where you can purchase the components in kit form (many suppliers have these kits):
http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/guitar_index.htm

As far as the pots and caps, I'd stick with the 250k setup. Lots of sites have diagrams for wiring and rewiring: Stew-Mac, Seymour Duncan, Mr. Gearhead, Guitarnuts, etc. Do search for some of these - some are also listed in the Bridge Pickup Links.

Have fun with the project and don't hesitate to ask question as yoou go through the process of reworking the Tele. The people here are willing to help and always ready with an opinion. :)

Again, welcome to the greatest place on the internet!

Dean

[tater]

Thanks Dean i Just ordered up a bunch-o-stuff from Angela and Guitar Parts Source. Should keep my busy for a while..... :)